Apple patent brings app sharing to app stores

Few can deny Apple’s success with their iTunes App Store and the new Mac App Store. Of course, even with that success nobody should expect Apple to kick things into low gear anytime soon. In fact, the company is already working on the next generation of app store features. A patent application filed by Apple in the second quarter of 2009 has come to light which describes making it easier for people to share apps with one another.

Apple’s current app stores do not allow applications to be shared between mobile devices. That means if you’re carrying your iPhone, iPad or other kind of Apple device and see someone else using an app you want, you need to make sure you get the title of the app correct, go to the corresponding app store on your own device, and download it. Those additional steps could mean the loss of a sale should a consumer get the name of an application wrong or forget to download it later.

Under Apple’s new system, mobile devices or a Mac could easily share an application with a user who wants it. The application package could be a full working version of the app, limited to a specific trial period, or might simply be something like a bookmark the user could access later to download the application from the corresponding app store. In addition to the application itself, the system could also share app preferences between individuals or allow an individual to simply use the default.

Besides peer-to-peer sharing, Apple’s patent application also describes a method by which a fixed device could be hooked up to a wireless access point, like that in a café. Using the device, people who connect to the wireless network could share their app to a central location which could be browsed by others whether or not the individual who initially shared the application in still present.